NBA Rumors: Latest Buzz on Kobe Bryant and More Stars Around the League

With the NBA season just getting off the ground, it’s tough to find good trade rumors and other transaction-based talk, but there is still plenty of interesting buzz surrounding the association.

Read on for a condensed roundup of some of the early whispers and rumors flying about.

Kobe Bryant Playing ‘til 40?

It sounds ridiculous, but the Black Mamba is seriously considering playing until he’s 40.

When will Kobe retire?

Within two yearsThree-to-five yearsNot until he's 40Submit Votevote to see results

When will Kobe retire?

Within two years

29.7%

Three-to-five years

48.0%

Not until he's 40

22.3%

Total votes: 404

According to TrendBasket.net (h/t ProBasketballTalk), Bryant’s goal is to play for six more years now that he has Steve Nash and Dwight Howard surrounding him, making him feel younger and more productive than he has felt in recent years.

While Bryant didn’t specifically mention that he’d stay in the NBA during that time period—as he delved into offers he had from Besiktas in Turkey and other interested parties abroad—it’s going to be quite hard to pry the superstar away from the only professional team he’s known.

As long as Kobe is putting up points and making a difference, while inching closer to surpassing Michael Jordan’s six championships, there’s a great chance he keeps coming back.

Steve Nash Out At Least Another Week

While we're on the subject of the Lakers, CBS Sports’ Ken Berger has some insider information from L.A.’s medical staff concerning their superstar point guard.

Latest info from Lakers' medical staff has Steve Nash missing about 7-10 days, according to a person briefed on the point guard's prognosis.

The future Hall of Famer is likely to return to the court in seven to 10 days, as he is still recovering from a small fracture in his left fibula.

Considering the club was prepared to wait up to a month for Nash to get back in action, this is a great prognosis.

K-Mart Looking for a Team, Any Team

Kenyon Martin is healthy and hungry to get back to the NBA, but he can’t find a squad that is interested in taking him.

According to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports, Martin is quite upset about this and can’t figure out why.

"If someone calls me tomorrow, I don't care who it is, whether it's losing or winning at this point," Martin said. "If someone calls me tomorrow and wants me to come in, I'm going. Guys are going down and [teams] are like, 'Well, we are going to stick with what we got.' I'm like, 'Really?' I started questioning myself, 'Am I that bad of a guy?' "

While Martin doesn’t have the best reputation, there is no doubt that he’s a much more productive player than many currently on NBA rosters.

Stay tuned to B/R to find out the latest on Martin and his quest to find a franchise, plus more NBA news and rumors.